Friday 6 December 2013

ICSE Biology Quick Revision Material


                                                  Endocrine Glands
1.      Glands are of two types- Exocrine glands and Endocrine glands.
.Exocrine glands are duct (having tube) glands- secrete enzymes.
.Endocrine glands are ductless (tube lacking) glands secrete enzymes.
2.      Hormones are chemical messengers which are produced at one part of our body and have influence at some other parts (target organs) of our body.
Characteristics of hormones:
1.      Hormones are always poured or secreted into blood by endocrine glands.
2.      Hormones always act away from the source of their secretion.
3.      Hormones are produced in  trace quantity but they have wide influence  all over our body.
4.      Same hormone produced in different species will have the same influence.
5.      Hormones cannot be stored in our body but  will be excreted after their action.
6.      Hormones regulate physiological process by chemical means.
7.      Chemically hormones are peptides (insulin), amine (adrenaline), steroids (testosterone).
8.      Secretion of a hormone less (hypo/under secretion) or more (hyper/over secretion) leads to some defects in the body.
1.     THYROID GLAND:   
Location: A butterfly shaped gland present below larynx and above trachea. The two wings of thyroid gland are connected by a bridge like region called isthmus.
Hormones secreted: Thyroxine and Calcitonin
Principal activities of Thyroxine hormone:-
1.      Regulate basal metabolism ( Cellular oxidation resulting in heat production).
2.      It influences general growth of the body, ossification of bones, mental development and body heat content.
Hypo secretion or under secretion (Hypothyroidism) of this hormone leads to three defects.
a.      Simple Goiter: Thyroid gland present below the neck region become swollen.
Symptom: Abnormal swelling of thyroid gland present below the neck region.

Reason: Lack of iodine in diet. Iodine helps in the synthesis of thyroxine hormone by thyroid gland.
People live in hilly plains most commonly suffer from this defect due to iodine gets leached away from the sloppy soils. Hence the food produced from these crops lack iodine mineral.
b.      Cretinism: It is a defect caused in child or at infancy.
Symptoms: Dwarfism, Mental retardation.
c.       Myxoedema:  disease caused in old people. Person become sluggish. Swelling can be Iseen in face and hands.
Over secretion /Hyper secretion (Hyperthyroidism) leads to Exophthalmic Goiter.
Symptoms: 1. Eyes protrude out.
2.     Metabolic and heart beat rate increases.
3.     Shortness of breath
4.     Goiter in the neck.
2.PANCREAS:
This gland acts as both exocrine and endocrine gland. Pancreas is present below the stomach region. Pancreas as an exocrine gland it secret enzymes and as an endocrine gland secrete hormones. Patches of endocrine cells present in pancreas together known as Islets of Langerhans.  
a.      Beta cells of Islets of Langerhans secret Insulin.
Principal activities of Insulin hormone:
1.      Insulin promotes proper utilization of glucose by our body cells.
2.      Insulin converts excess glucose present in blood to glycogen and store it in liver.
b.      Alpha cells of  Islets of Langerhans secret Glucagon.  
Glucagon converts glycogen present in liver to glucose and put into blood circulation.
c.       Delta cells of Islets of Langerhans secrete Somatostatin. This hormone control secretions of both insulin and glucagon hormones.






Wednesday 13 November 2013

ICSE English Specimen Paper-I


                                                      ICSE Specimen Question Paper
                                                       ENGLISH LANGUAGE
                                                              ENGLISH Paper 1
                                                                      (Two hours) 


                                     
Answers to this Paper must be written on the paper provided separately.
You will not be allowed to write during the first 15 minutes.
This time is to be spent in reading the question paper.
The time given at the head of this Paper is the time allowed for writing the answers.
Attempt all four questions.
The intended marks for questions or parts of questions are given in brackets [ ].
You are advised to spend not more than 35 minutes in answering Question 1
and 20 minutes in answering Question 2.


Question 1
(Do not spend more than 35 minutes on this question.) [25]

Write a composition (350 - 400 words) on any one of the following:

(a) Me and my big mouth!
(b) Write about a time when you were late for an important function.
What lesson on punctuality did you learn?
(c) Every home should adopt a pet animal. Express your views either for or
against this statement.
(d) Write an original short story which illustrates the truth of the statement,
One lie leads to another.
(e) Study the picture given below. Write a story or a description or an account
of what it suggests to you. Your composition may be about the subject of
the picture or you may take suggestions from it; however, there must be a
clear connection between the picture and your composition.

Question 2
(Do not spend more than 20 minutes on this question.)

Select one of the following: [10]

(a) Write a letter to the editor of a local newspaper telling him/her what you
think about global warming, its effects and what people should do to
prevent it from getting worse.

(b) A friend of yours has been out of station for a month and there was an
important event/function held in the school while he/she was away. Write
him/her a letter describing of the event/function, and your role in it, and
why your friend was missed.


Question 3

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:

My husband Pele and I were staying in a holiday house overlooking the beautiful,
lush rainforests of Indonesia. The glass walls framed a fine view across the Bagon
Valley to what had been the summer palace of President Suharto.
The first morning we strolled hand in hand up a winding pathway, heading to the
main building for breakfast. But once we arrived at the dinning room, I realized                5
we‟d forgotten our money, so I volunteered to run back to the house. Making my
way down the path, I turned the last corner only to find a giant bird, similar to an
emu, standing outside our front door.

“Hey baby, what are you doing?” I cooed, moving slowly so as not to frighten it.
Having a deep, abiding fascination with all creatures great and small, I wanted a             10
closer look. This was my first mistake.

As I came within a few meters, he took a big breath and let out a nasty hiss, stopping
me in my tracks.

“That‟s not very friendly,” I said, clueless. He hissed again and I promptly made the
second mistake of turning and running, instead of backing away slowly. As I                     15
rounded the corner I heard his razor-sharp claws scrabbling on the cobblestones.
“Oh!”

His steps sounded like a drum as they hit the ground, quickly coming too close for
comfort. I suddenly changed direction and headed into the trees. Dodged in and out
of the foliage. I hoped my tactic would fool him. A crash behind me indicated no                 20
such luck.

Jumping over a small bush, I found myself out in the open and not far from the dining
room. Picking up speed, I bolted over the plants and rockeries surrounding the
perimeter and dashed through the gate. When I turned to close it, the bird was
nowhere to be seen.                                                                                                                  25

I didn‟t realize it and at the time, but I had just come face to face with a cassowary, a
bird also found in Australia‟s north Queensland rainforests. Cassowarys weigh 55
kilos or more, stand about 180 centimeters tall and have saber-like toenails that can
open a human from chin to groin like a zipper and kill humans.

“What‟s wrong?” Pele asked as I stumbled back into the dinning room.                           30
“A big bird chased me all the way from the house,” I replied.
“What?” he asked incredulously. “You‟re scared of a bird?”
“It‟s as big as me and very mean,” I said in a rather sulky voice.
“Oh, all right,” he laughed. “I‟ll come with you.”

Much to Pele‟s amusement, I stayed behind him on the path and held onto the back       35
of his shirt as we approached the corner of the house.
“See! There it is. Look at the size of the thing!”
Pele chuckled at the hysteria in my voice. “It‟s all right,” he soothed.
Calmly and confidently he walked toward the cassowary.
“Shoo! Go on, get out,” he said.
                                                                                                                                                 40
He made actions with his arms as if it were a pigeon on a window ledge. The
response of the cassowary was the same as before: a big hiss and a step forward.
“Hmm,” said Pele and stopped, not so sure of himself. He tried again. “Go on.”
The cassowary then ran a few paces at us, hissing aggressively, so we quickly
retreated around a corner of the house. Pele picked up a rock the size of his hand and     45
threw it hard, hitting the bird squarely in the chest. It didn‟t budge.

“What are we going to do?” I pleaded. This time, Pele picked up a cane chair.
“Stay behind and I‟ll keep him back. When we get to the door, open it.”
Again I held on to the back of his shirt and we started towards the door. This greatly
displeased the already annoyed cassowary. Charging at us he ripped at the chair with       50
those lethal claws. Pele stopped to steady the chair – and possibly his resolve.
Pele threw the chair at the bird and slammed the door shut.

Ducking the flying cane, the bird ran straight at the glass wall, only to bounce off.
But it didn‟t slow down at all. Pecking and scratching at the glass, it continued the
assault with a sickening ferocity.
                                                                                                                                                      55
It was another 15 minutes before the bird weakened and slowed its attack. Thirty
minutes later, we quietly opened the door and crept back to the main building.

(a) Give the meanings of the following words as used in the passage.
One word answers or short phrases will be accepted.
(i) strolled (line 4)
(ii) fascination (line 10)
(iii) foliage (line 20) [3]
(b) Answer the following questions briefly in your own words.
(i) What was Pele‟s wife‟s first mistake when she saw the bird? [2]
(ii) How did the bird react to the lady‟s third mistake? [2]
(iii) What did she do after this reaction of the bird? [2]
(iv) Describe the Cassowary. [2]
(v) Why did Pele find the situation amusing at first? Why did he
change his attitude? [2]
(vi) Use the word „framed‟ (line 2) in a sentence of your own such that
it has a meaning different from that used in the passage. [2]

(c) With close reference to the last paragraph of the extract and in not more
than 60 words describe how the couple got into their room when they were
together. [8]

(d) Give a title to the passage and give a reason to justify your choice. [2]

Question 4
(a) In the following passage, fill in each of the numbered blanks with the
correct form of the word given in brackets. Do not copy the passage, but
write in correct serial order the word or phrase appropriate to the blank
space.

Example:
(0) discussed.

The other day we (0) ______(discuss) the attitudes of people in our
country. Why (1) _____ (be) most of them rude and aggressive? Pritam
asked. Sanjana (2) ______(say) that it (3) _____(be) because there
(4) ________(be) too many people and one had to fight for everything.
Nirode (5)______(insist) that it (6) ______(be) the climate. We
(7) _______(be) as efficient and polite as Europeans if only our weather
(8) _______ (be) better. [4


(b) Fill in the blanks with appropriate words:

(i) Her parents live ________ New Delhi.
(ii) Joe‟s parents are sick ________ his behaviour.
(iii) Colonel Gurmeet congratulated the soldiers _______ their victory.
(iv) The planet was seen ________ the telescope.
(v) The news of his promotion came ________the next day.
(vi) He is not afraid _______ the consequences.
(vii) He rushed ______ the class as he was late.
(viii) The school is famous _______its sports achievements. [4]

(c) Joint the following sentences to make one complete sentence without
using and, but or so.

(i) Sonia asked a riddle. I was unable to solve it.
(ii) John helped Thomas. Thomas will always be grateful.
(iii) Rajan is a great Cricketer. He is also popular.
(iv) Adnan sang a wonderful song. It became a hit. [4]

(d) Re-write the following sentences according to the instructions given after
each. Make other changes that may be necessary, but do not change the
meaning of each sentence.

(i) We had not even walked one kilometre when they stopped us.
(Begin: Hardly …………………)
(ii) The memory is so vivid that I will never forget it.
(Use „too‟ in place of „so‟)
(iii) That need not happen.
(Rewrite: using does.)
(iv) Food and sleep were all we cared about.
(Begin: All …………………….)
(v) We sat there face to face with our accuser.
(Begin: There ...............................)
(vi) Herbert consulted his parents before accepting the job offer.
(Begin: Herbert did not ………..)
(vii) Put your tools away, the children may fall over them
(Use: lest………………………)
(viii) It was the last time he saw his wife.
(Begin: Never……………………) [8]




Tuesday 12 November 2013



                                              ICSE Specimen Question Paper
                                                     LITERATURE IN ENGLISH
                                                            ENGLISH Paper – 2
                                                                 (Two hours)

Answers to this Paper must be written on the paper provided separately.
You will not be allowed to write during the first 15 minutes.
This time is to be spent in reading the question paper.
The time given at the head of this paper is the time allowed for writing the answers.
Attempt five questions in all.

You must attempt one question from each of the Sections A, B and C and any two other
questions.

The intended marks for questions or parts of questions are given in brackets [ ].


SECTION A - DRAMA
Shakespeare : As You Like It
Question 1
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
Orlando : Why, what‟s the matter?
Adam : O unhappy youth!
Come not within these doors; within this roof
The enemy of all your graces lives.
(i) Who is the enemy of Orlando‟s graces? Briefly state how that person has
come to be Orlando‟s „enemy‟. [3]
(ii) Why does Adam say that Orlando should not come „within these doors‟?
Mention another instance from an earlier part of the play where the „enemy‟
had planned harm against Orlando‟s „graces‟. [3]
(iii) Who had given a similar warning to Orlando earlier? Briefly state what that
person had said to Orlando. [3]
(iv) Why does Adam call Orlando an „unhappy youth‟? What advice does
Adam give Orlando? [3]
(v) What does Orlando finally decide to do along with Adam? Describe
Adam‟s sense of devotion to duty. [4]


Question 2
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
Silvius: My errand is to you, fair youth
My gentle Phebe did bid me give you this:
[giving a letter]
I know not the contents; but, as I guess
By the stern brow and waspish action
Which she did use as she was writing of it,
It bears an angry tenor : pardon me;
I am but as a guiltless messenger.
Rosalind: [Reading the letter] Patience herself
would startle at this letter, …….
(i) Where are Silvius and Rosalind at this time? Who else is with Rosalind?
What had Rosalind been complaining about prior to Silvius‟ entrance? [3]
(ii) What does Rosalind reveal about the contents of the letter which Silvius
has given her? [3]
(iii) How does Oliver, who enters the scene a little later, recognize Rosalind
and her companion? [3]
(iv) What was Oliver‟s feelings for Orlando in the earlier part of the play?
What is his feeling towards Orlando now? Briefly mention how this
change in Oliver was brought about. [3]
(v) What has Oliver brought for Rosalind from Orlando? What effect does
this have on Rosalind and what light does this throw on Rosalind‟s
character? [4]


Question 2
ead the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
Silvius:   My errand is to you, fair youth
My gentle Phebe did bid me give you this:
[giving a letter]
I know not the contents; but, as I guess
By the stern brow and waspish action
Which she did use as she was writing of it,
It bears an angry tenor : pardon me;
I am but as a guiltless messenger.
Rosalind:  [Reading the letter] Patience herself
would startle at this letter, …….
)  Where are Silvius and Rosalind at this time? Who else is with Rosalind?
What had Rosalind been complaining about prior to Silvius‟ entrance?  [3]
i)  What  does  Rosalind  reveal  about  the  contents  of  the  letter  which  Silvius
has given her?    [3]
ii)  How  does  Oliver,  who  enters  the  scene  a  little  later,  recognize  Rosalind
and her companion?      [3]
v)  What  was  Oliver‟s  feelings  for  Orlando  in  the  earlier  part  of  the  play?
What  is  his  feeling  towards  Orlando  now?   Briefly  mention  how  this
change in Oliver was brought about.  [3]
v)  What  has  Oliver  brought  for  Rosalind  from  Orlando?  What  effect  does
this  have  on  Rosalind  and  what  light  does  this  throw  on  Rosalind‟s
character?     [4]


Loyalties : John Galsworthy

Question 3
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
De Levis:   Society!  Do  you  think  I  don‟t  know  I‟m  only
tolerated  for  my  money?  Society  can‟t  add  injury
to insult and have my money as well, that‟s all. If
the  notes  are  restored  I‟ll  keep  my  mouth  shut;  if
they‟re not, I shan‟t. I‟m certain I‟m right. I ask
nothing  better  than  to  be  confronted  with  Dancy;
but, if you prefer it, deal with it in your own way  –
for the sake of your esprit de corps.
(i)  Where is De Levis at the moment and to whom is he talking? Why is he
so agitated?   [3]
(ii)  What had Dancy done earlier that evening which  makes De Levis say that
he can „jump like a cat‟?  [3]
(iii)  What is the name of the horse that De Levis sells and how much is he paid
for it? Who bought it off him?  [3]
(iv)  Why did Dancy give  De Levis the „weed‟? What race does it win later
and what were the odds on it?  [3]
(v)  What does the phrase esprit de corps  mean? In what way does De Levis
face social ostracism for his accusation of Dancy?  [4]

Question 4
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
Gilman:   [Taking  the  client’s  chair,  to  the  left  of  the  table]  Mr.
Twisden,  I  believe?   My  name‟s  Gilman,  head  of  Gilman‟s
Department Stores. You have my card.
Twisden:     [Looking at the card] Yes. What can we do for you?
Gilman:   Well, I‟ve come to you from a sense of duty, Sir, and also a
feelin‟ of embarrassment……..
(i)  Who is Mr. Twisden and what is the name of his firm? Where in London
is it situated?  [3] 
(ii)  Which two visitors have just left the office? What news had they given
Twisden  about  something  odd  that  General  Canynge  had  noticed  about
Dancy on the night of the theft?    [3]
(iii)  Who  had  given  Gilman  the  stolen  fifty  pound  note?   What  was  this
person‟s line of work and for how long had Gilman known him?  [3]
(iv)  How did this person account for being in possession of the note?  [3]
(v)      What decision about the case does Twisden take immediately following
this new turn of events? What are your feelings for Dancy in the light of
these new revelations and why?   [4]

SECTION B – POETRY

Golden Lyre
Question 5
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
Wide through the landscape of his dreams
The lordly Niger flowed;
Beneath the palm-trees on the plain
Once more a king he strode;
And heard the tinkling caravans
Descend the mountain – road.
[The Slave’s Dream – H.W. Longfellow]
(i)  Where is the slave at this moment? Describe his present condition.  [3]
(ii)    Explain the first two lines of the extract. Why are the caravans described
as „tinkling‟?  [3]
(iii)  What images and sounds of the wildlife of his native land pass through the
slave‟s dream „like a glorious roll of drums‟?      [3]
(iv)  What causes a tear to fall from the sleeper‟s lids?  [3]
(v)  Contrast  the  slave‟s  earlier  life  as  a  king  with  his  present  pathetic
condition. What are your feelings for him at the end of the poem?        [4] 
11  ICSE Specimen Question Paper
Question 6
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
I remember the night my mother
was stung by a scorpion. Ten hours
of steady rain had driven him
to crawl beneath a sack of rice.
[Night of the Scorpion – Nissim Ezekiel]
(i)  Describe  the  night  when  the  poet‟s  mother  was  stung  by  a  scorpion.
Where had the scorpion hidden itself and what did it do after stinging the
mother?    [3]
(ii)  What expression has the poet used to describe the coming of the peasants?
What did they do to „paralyze the Evil One‟?    [3]
(iii)  Why did the peasants pray for the scorpion to sit still? Mention any  one
thing that the peasants said as they sat around the poet‟s mother.  [3]
(iv)  What did the poet‟s father do to relieve the pain of his wife?  [3]
(v)  For how long did the mother suffer? What did the mother say when she
recovered? What are your feelings for the mother and father after reading
the poem?    [4]

SECTION C – PROSE
A Treasure Trove of Short Stories

Question 7
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
“Jim, darling,” she cried, “don‟t look at me that way. I had my hair cut off
and sold it because I couldn‟t have lived through Christmas without giving
you a present. It will grow out again  –  you won‟t mind, will you? I just
had to do it. My hair grows awfully fast. Say „Merry Christmas!‟ Jim, and
let‟s be happy. You don‟t know what a nice  –  what a beautiful, nice gift I
have got for you.”
(i)  What was the expression on Jim‟s face as he stepped inside the flat? What
was the reason for this expression?      [3] 
(ii)  Describe the present that Della has bought for Jim.    [3]
(iii)  Give a brief description of the flat that  Jim and Della live in so as to highlight
their poor financial condition.    [3]
(iv)  How much of money had Della saved at the start of the story? How had she
been able to save this amount?    [3]
(v)  How  would  you  describe  the  sacrifice  made  by  the  two  characters  in  the
story? Were they foolish or wise in doing what they did? Give your reasons
briefly.           [4]


Question 8
The  Tiger  in  the  Tunnel  is  a  story  of  the  extraordinary  courage  of  an  ordinary
watchman while performing his duty.  By referring to incidents in the story describe:
(a)  The ordinary life of Baldev as a watchman.
(b)  The extraordinary courage shown by him while on duty.   [16]

Animal Farm : George Orwell
Question 9

Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
Mrs.  Jones  looked  out  of  the  bedroom  window,  saw  what  was
happening,  hurriedly  flung  a  few  possessions  into  a  carpet  bag,  and
slipped out of the farm by another way.  Moses sprang off his perch and
flapped after her, croaking  loudly.  Meanwhile the animals had chased
Jones and his men out on to the road and slammed the five  – barred gate
behind them. And so, almost before they knew what was happening, the
Rebellion  had  been  successfully  carried  through:   Jones  was  expelled,
and the Manor Farm was theirs.
(i)  What did Mrs. Jones see on looking out of her bedroom window?   [3]
(ii)  What was the immediate cause for the Rebellion?  [3]
(iii)  How did the animals celebrate their first day of freedom from human tyranny?     [3]
(iv)  What did the animals see on their tour of the farmhouse and what unanimous
resolution did they pass?    [3]
(v)  What was the first of the seven commandments that embodied the principles
of Animalism?
Where were these commandments written and how was it done?  [4]


Question 10

In Chapter VIII, the humans, led by Frederick, boldly attack Animal Farm. Narrate
how the attackers were beaten back in what came to be known as „The Battle of the
Windmill‟ and how the animals later celebrated their victory.      [16]

To Sir with Love : E.R. Braithwaite
Question 11
Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
I felt drained of strength and thought; yet somehow I managed to leave
that office, navigate the passage,  lift and corridor, and walk out of the
building into the busy sunlit street. I had just been brought face to face
with something I had either forgotten or completely ignored for more
than six exciting years – my black skin.
(i)  How  had  the  receptionist  behaved  before  and  after  she  learned  that
Braithwaite had been called for an interview with Mr. Symonds?    [3]
(ii)  What post had Braithwaite applied for? How had the Appointments Office
helped in this regard?    [3]
(iii)  What  had  Mr.  Symonds  told  Braithwaite  to  make  him  feel  drained  of
strength and thought?   [3]
(iv)  What  does  Braithwaite  do  immediately  following  this  first  interview  to
prevent further humiliation?    [3]
(v)  Later, Braithwaite talks about a casual encounter which changed the course of
his  life. Where and with whom did  this encounter take place and how did it
affect his future course of life?    [4]

Question 12

How  had  his  class  behaved  on  their  trip  to  the  Victoria  and  Albert  Museum  that
made  Braithwaite  feel  proud  of  them?   Who  had  earlier  objected  to  the  trip  and
why? Under what conditions was it allowed to go ahead?  [16]